The advertising watchdog has pulled the plug on five separate campaigns for tanning studios, ruling that they were all making misleading and irresponsible claims about the safety of sunbeds.
Ads for SunShine Co, Tanbox Towcester and The Sun Company, as well as for Tan & Deliver Home Hire Sunbeds and Byrokko, which sells products to accelerate tanning, were identified for investigation following intelligence gathered by the Advertising Standards Authority’s Active Ad Monitoring system, which uses AI to proactively search for online ads that might break the rules.
Their misleading and irresponsible claims included that sunbed use is safe or that tanning can be achieved safely, and that sunbeds could boost vitamin D, improve mood and energy levels, and treat health conditions such as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), psoriasis and eczema.
The rulings come amid public health concerns about the risks of ultraviolet (UV) exposure and the continued popularity of tanning, with some experts highlighting the role of social media in promoting and normalising sunbed use.
Cancer Research UK has long warned that sunbeds use high-intensity UV radiation for quick tanning which can damage the DNA in skin cells. This can lead to skin cancer, including melanoma, which is the most serious type. Too much UV radiation is the third biggest cause of cancer and the main cause of skin cancer in the UK.
The ASA said the ads for all five firms were irresponsible and likely to mislead people by downplaying the risks or presenting tanning as beneficial to health.
Some of the ads also implied that sunbeds could be used to help manage medical conditions, which risked discouraging people from seeking appropriate medical advice or treatment, it added.
All five advertisers have been told the ads must not appear again, and have been warned about future activity.
The ASA said: “Given the serious dangers of UV exposure, it’s vital that ads for sunbeds don’t suggest that they’re safe or offer health benefits. These rulings demonstrate that information about health in ads must be clear, accurate and responsible.
“Protecting people from misleading or irresponsible ads is at the heart of our work and we’ll take action where ads break the rules by putting people at risk.”
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